Stay Sober Following Rehab
Overcoming an alcohol addiction might be one of the hardest things you will have to do in your life. Once quitting alcohol abuse, many recovering alcoholics ask how to stay sober. Avoiding temptations, especially socially, can be difficult for newly sober individuals. The skills learned while in an alcohol recovery program are vital to lasting sobriety. At the beginning of the recovery process, and individuals will need all the help and support they can tap into from family and friends. Expect the first few months following inpatient alcohol rehab to be intense and fraught with situations that could easily derail recovery. The following is a list of tips on how to stay sober following inpatient addiction treatment.
Tips On How to Stay Sober
- Talk to a friend or a family member you trust: talking can be very powerful. Talking about how you feel and what you struggle with will make you feel better about your progress. Isolating yourself and keeping feelings of doubt and fear will likely only manifest themselves as triggers for drinking. In order to stay sober, avoid dangerous situations and environments.
- Distract yourself from cravings and temptations. Go out for a walk, exercise, run errands, listen to some music…there are many other things you can do that will help ease the chronic impulses to use. Keep your home free from any triggers such as illicit drugs, alcohol, and dangerous prescription drugs. Other triggers can be old friends. Consider maintaining a clear distance from people who have been drinking buddies. Avoid social situations such as parties, that might be too dangerous. Most choose to stay sober work hard to build solid sober friend circles.
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- Stay positive and keep focusing on your achievements, not your failures. This may seem obvious but numerous studies have confirmed that positivity and hopefulness are vital to long-term success and rebuilding of self-confidence.
- Remind yourself of the reasons that made you seek help in the first place. You have successfully achieved sobriety and looking forward towards a healthy future will help keep you on the straight and narrow. Temptation itself is not a sign of relapse, giving into temptation is. Remember to reach out to your sponsor when you need them. This can be instrumental in avoiding drug addiction relapse. Keep chasing the life you want for yourself and your loved ones.
- Making new life goals and chasing them will help rebuild a healthier lifestyle. Focus on your diet and exercise plans, continuing journaling and seeking therapy, and attend your 12-step meetings. This is also a good time to take up new hobbies such as sailing, weight lifting, yoga, painting, and travel. Keep stimulating your mind with positive activities as this will serve as a distraction from negative thinking and poor choices.
- Accept the fact that you will go through some rough times and that your emotions might be volatile. Learn to lean on your healthy relationships to problem solve and deal with the natural ups and downs of life. Developing a strong friend circle who understand you and your addiction recovery goals, and stay in constant contact with them. These relationships can make the difference between relapse and sobriety.
- Living in the present is another important mindset all recovering drug addicts need to focus on. Reliving regrets and past tragedy will always bring you down. The vicious cycle of shame and fear can be used to fuel your drive to keep moving forward, or it can cause you to revert to unhealthy thinking. Think of ways to make today positive and then chase those reasons relentlessly.
- Nature can be your best friend, especially in Huntington Beach, CA. Schedule time to be outdoors for at least 30 minutes each day either walking or soaking in much-needed sunshine and fresh air.
- Finally, embrace the new you and let go of your previous self. This can help you move on from resentment, hurt and anger, all of which can fester and cause risks for your long-term sobriety. The skills learned while you were in alcohol addiction rehab will serve you well for the rest of your life.